Whenever the name of NBA Legend Robert Horry comes up in basketball discussions, it is not uncommon to hear people talk about his good fortune in winning seven NBA championships, his ability to hit clutch three pointers, or even his uncanny resemblance to movie star Will Smith. But last October 8, 2013, public opinion was finally put to rest when during a private Adidas event at the Mall of Asia, the retired 17-year NBA veteran put his career in perspective, “I was very fortunate to be at the right place at the right time and I like to say that teams were very fortunate to have me at the right place and at the right time.”

The one-time Manila visitor was also asked about his trip to the Philippines, “Well actually this is my second trip. The first time I had the pleasure of coming here was during the Asian Tour that we did maybe two years ago. My biggest thrill was that we actually got to play where the Thrilla in Manila was and so all the guys were like “Wow! This was where the Thrilla in Manila was.[i]” So we had fun doing that. This trip, you know, I feel like a vet now. I’ve been here. We know where a lot of things are, been to the mall before, and experienced a lot and I just know that the biggest thrill is coming to a place like this where basketball is love. I mean this is almost like being in the state of Kentucky. Kentucky is like a basketball state but this whole country is basketball love. Every corner there is a basketball goal so it is always exciting to play in front of people who love the game, who love the sport, who is knowledgeable in the sport.”

During the Adidas event, I also had the chance to ask the 7-time NBA champion the following questions:

Tedi Villasor (TGV): Robert, I’m Dr. Tedi Villasor, NBA.com/Philippines. You’ve won 7 championships and played for a number of years. My question is: We have a lot of aspiring high school, collegiate, and professional basketball players, what qualities should they possess in order for them to be successful?

Robert Horry (RH): “I remember when we played that game here that I was very impressed by the Philippine players because they were lighting us up from three but that’s the thing, you’ve got to keep playing you’ve got to get. I always tell, it don’t matter who you are, you’ve got to have a base, you’ve got to have a foundation, you’ve got to have the skill sets: from passing, shooting, and dribbling. Now those three basic things and then expand on them. So My whole thing with that is you got to keep aspiring to be what you want to be. Practicing everyday. Practicing the right way. and become very knowledgeable…”